Rhubarb Bonanza

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Deborah

There are a few things in this world that really make me thank Mother Nature for….Rhubarb is one of those things. A truly wonderful gift to the culinary world.

Seeing those first few crimson red stalks poking up through the earth after a long, cold winter make me jump for joy while reaching for the pie dish at the same time, which makes me wonder….is it a vegetable? Or is it a fruit?

After a few minutes of googling, I found out it is neither. The tart and tasty rhubarb is an herbaceous perennial plant that thrives in the Northern … Read more...

Top 5 Vegetables to Plant in Early Spring

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Deborah

It’s Spring…or so the calendar says. I was late getting the garden prepped this year because apparently Old Man Winter didn’t get the memo that his season had ended. I swear I saw him being dragged by Mother Nature kicking and screaming down the street just last week, hurling snowballs in fits of anger like a petulant child.

But now that Spring seems to have arrived, it is time to get the garden churned up and open for business. I know it is still way too early to set my lovingly reared little toms and peppers outside that have been … Read more...

Next Week’s Menu

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Deborah

As we approach May, I for one am thankful that January…. um.. I mean…April will finally be O-V-E-R. I have had my fill of snow, sleet, monsoon rains and high winds….with only a few precious days in between of warmth and sunshine. Here’s to hoping May finally sees us getting the steady, normal Spring weather patterns we should be having by now as I am itching to get more gardening done.

Meanwhile, many projects abound at the Northern Homestead and the City Homestead as well in the coming days/weeks. The bizarre storm of last week has hubby gearing up … Read more...

Mlyntsi ~ Ukrainian Griddle Cakes

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Deborah

This is a follow up to last week’s Cookbook Fetish post, whereupon I had a few requests for the pancake/griddle cake recipe…so instead of hoarding it, I decided to share it. I know, highly amiable of me isn’t it?

As mentioned, this recipe is pretty simple, but it is also simply outstanding. You will have no need to go back to a prepackaged pancake mix ever again. With a short ingredient list that you already have in your pantry ~ guaranteed (if you don’t, you must be in college) you will wow your family this Sunday morning with hot, fresh … Read more...

The Gardener’s Morning

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Deborah

The Gardener’s Morning

The robin’s song at daybreak
Is a clarion call to me. Get up and get out in the garden,
For the morning hours flee.

I cannot resist the summons,
What earnest gardener could?
For the golden hours of morning
Get into the gardener’s blood.

The magic spell is upon me,
I’m glad that I did not wait;
For life’s at its best in the morning,
As you pass through the garden gate.
– Howard Dolf

The above poem pretty much sums up me and my garden. I love Spring, time for plants to awaken and the cycle … Read more...

Mother Nature’s Fury

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Deborah

You can fight City Hall, you can lobby your Government for change, but if there is one thing that will always be a losing battle, it is trying to fight Mother Nature. You would have more success bailing a boat with a thimble in a torrential downpour than beating the Grand Dame.

This past weekend showed us her true powers. One day she blesses us with sunshine and warming rays, the next, she is raging with snow on 35 km winds.

Friday night the wind howled all night long, we woke up to flurries being blown sideways from the west. … Read more...

De-Thatching Your Lawn

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Deborah

Psst…. come here…I have a FABULOUS New Workout Regime for you try out. Guaranteed to melt away any and all fat left on your body ~ If you live through it….

It is called ‘De-Thatching Your Lawn’….

and it is probably one of the hardest things to accomplish in your lawn care maintenance program. If you have one that is. Maybe you are the type that just ignores the grass and lets Mother Nature take it wherever she wants…like dandelion puffs blowing in the wind.

Not us though, we have been known to be a tad overzealous in our lawn … Read more...

Next Weeks Menu

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Deborah

Is it really here? Spring? Maybe? Stop teasing us ok? Enough of the whacko weather, let’s get down to some serious sunshine and HEAT….

This week we had one day of clear blue skies and sun so I summoned the energy and courage to finish the dreaded de-thatching of the lawn. I found out something…we have a LOT of lawn space. If you do not know about de-thatching, you are lucky, more on that topic next week….suffice it to say de-thatching a lawn makes for a very exhausted and sore Homesteader. There are still many other outdoor Spring chores to … Read more...

When Life Hands You Lemons

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Deborah

“Bitter, sharp, packed so neat
Whose for a lemon treat?
Suck it slow, your mouth contorts
Eat it quick, you might feel sick
But add it little to a drink
or whip it in some cream and sink
your spoon into the lemon-goo
I bet , like me, you like lemons too”
Poem By Sammy Stein

I love lemons, for more than just cooking and baking (or writing poems)
Lemons are useful in so many other ways.

Not just for lemonade or lemon meringue pie, lemons are also one of nature’s best cleaning agents. Combined with Vinegar or Baking … Read more...

Quirky Quinoa Craving

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Deborah

Ever have a really strong, unexplainable craving? I mean, so strong a hankering that you will stop at nothing to satisfy it? That has been me lately with quinoa. The stuff has been on my mind for a couple weeks but I have not had the time to sit down to come up with something new and tasty…and good for the waistline, which has gotten out of hand since Easter. My yoga pants are becoming all too comfortable and I really begrudge getting out of my jammie bottoms to leave the house.

So today I decided it was time to … Read more...